IOWA CITY, Iowa — For the third time this season, University of Iowa freshman Alexa Noel has been named Big Ten Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday.
Noel is the first player in program history to win the Big Ten weekly honor three times in the same season, and one of three players to win the award at least three times in a career.
A native of Summit, New Jersey, Noel improved to 21-0 overall and 15-0 in the Big Ten following a pair of straight-set wins last weekend at Rutgers and Maryland. She won 24 of 32 sets at the No. 1 singles position and earned her fifth win this season against a ranked opponent, topping No. 30 Anaya Akli of Maryland, 6-1, 6-2.
Noel is ranked No. 20 in the country, the highest ranking of any player in program history. She has the best single-season winning percentage (1.000) of any player in school history with a minimum of 10 matches, and she was won 19 of 21 matches in straight sets, all at the No. 1 position.
The Hawkeyes return to the court for the regular season finale Sunday at Nebraska at 12 p.m. (CT). The Big Ten Conference Tournament is April 29-May 2 in Madison, Wisconsin.
